Born in the USA

Following 4 and 5 star reviews in Edinburgh and at London’s Park Theatre, this enthralling and timely solo play is touring the UK in 2025.

Michigan. Present day. Ex-Ford factory worker Jimmy Vandenburg works alone in his garage servicing the classic American cars of his youth. He is the antihero of the Bruce Springsteen anthem, ‘born down in a dead man’s town’, trying to get by in the economic wasteland of the rust belt.

A decorated Vietnam war veteran, Jimmy feels his service for his country was ignored after he came home, so Trump’s call to ‘Make America Great Again’ appeals to his disillusionment. But his new found politics drive a wedge between him and his wife. Then a chance visit by the son of a marine comrade killed in the war makes him doubt his convictions and confront his trauma in a profound emotional reconciliation.

This highly praised, moving, and often humorous solo play bravely challenges assumptions about what drives populist politics to show how they can seduce the disillusioned and the disaffected.

Following rave reviews in Edinburgh and London, this gripping play is touring the UK.